MATTHEWS, N.C. – The Catawba men's soccer team fell in a dramatic South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Tournament Championship game in double overtime to Emory & Henry 4-3.
Catawba (14-2-2, 8-1-1 SAC) attempted 13 shots, with five coming on goal. Emory & Henry (11-1-6, 8-0-2 SAC) took 19 attempts, putting seven on target. The blue and white earned six corner kicks to the Wasps' two. Eleven yellow cards were distributed during the intense matchup.
Emory & Henry controlled possession early, firing the match's first five shots, none of which came on goal. The Wasps then earned a free kick in the 15th minute, which was shot toward Héctor Vara, who calmly made the save to keep the contest scoreless.
A foul was then called against Catawba inside the box, warranting a Wasps' penalty kick. After a lengthy VAR review, the call stood, and Emory & Henry converted to take a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute.
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The blue and white quickly flipped the script. Lukas García Huidobro broke free down the right side and found Alex Payton wide open in front of the net, who booted in the game-tying goal 34 minutes in.
Catawba continued to apply pressure as Diogo Correia pushed toward the crease before he was fouled, which resulted in a Catawba penalty kick.
Luis Rodrigues took the attempt and, for the second straight postseason match, converted to put the blue and white in front 2-1 in the 37th minute.
The pace of the match proceeded at a high rate, and Emory & Henry nodded things up at two all before the halftime break.
It took just 16 seconds into the second half for the Wasps to strike again, as they captured a 3-2 advantage.
Catawba controlled possession the rest of the way, firing off nine second-half shots, with two coming on goal, but none were able to find the back of the net until there were only 31 seconds left.
In a last-chance scrum, García Huidobro found Breno Andreucci, who had the slightest of openings but heroically fired the equalizer through the teeth of the Wasps' backline, sending the match to overtime and the crowd at Matthews into a frenzy.
In 10 minutes of action, Catawba fired the lone shot in the first overtime period, as the SAC heavyweights would head into a double overtime.
A hard foul was called against the Catawba Indians, setting up a Wasps' free kick. The attempt was sent deep into the box, and it was headed in by Marcelo Lopes, giving Emory & Henry its first SAC Tournament Championship.
Three Catawba men's soccer players were selected to the 2026 SAC All-Tournament team: Diogo Correia, Luis Rodrigues and Igor Gonçalves.
The Catawba Indians will have to shift their focus to the NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Tournament Selection Show on Monday, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. to await the details of their Super Region 2 first- or second-round matchup.
